The invention pertains to a gasket assembly to seal an opening. More specifically, the invention concerns a retrofit gasket assembly suitable for providing an effective seal between an opening and its associated door in a railroad hopper car.
In some styles of railroad hopper cars, the contents of the car are off-loaded by means of a selectively closable opening in the bottom of the car. A hinged door closes the opening when off-loading is not desirable. The door is open to permit off-loading of the contents of the railroad car.
A railroad hopper car carries a variety of materials over the course of its useful life. As the railroad hopper car becomes older, the integrity of the original seal between the bottom opening and the door decreases to a point where there are leaks in the seal, or at least there is an increase in the potential for leaks. This is especially true in the case where rain enters the hopper car so as to cause the residual contents to drain toward the bottom opening. Unless there is a seal with integrity between the opening and the door, there exists the possibility that the contents of the hopper car will drain onto the ground adjacent the car. Such drainage is an undesirable occurrence.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a gasket assembly to retrofit the seal between the opening and its associated hinged door of a railroad hopper car.